AI is more than just a tool for automation - it can also be a tool for empathy and insight. In personal and professional situations where our emotional intelligence and communication skills are tested, AI can provide guidance and support. ChatGPT4, for example, can analyze a situation, draw on collective intelligence, probe our understanding, suggest a framework, and deliver coaching.
Consider three challenging scenarios:
➊ Communicating a team member's illness or death. (sadly, an actual case)
➋ Navigating potential landmines in a diverse team-building exercise. You want to ensure your team is excited, comfortable, and engaged.
➌ Delivering difficult feedback to a star employee.
Now, imagine you're dealing one of these situations without the aid of a strong manager, a mentor, or an HR partner.
You can turn to GPT as a collaborator and prompt it:
➊ Walk me through the steps of writing a thoughtful letter...
➋ I want to create an engaging, inclusive offsite for my diverse team <describe team>, walk me through the steps to think about it
➌ Act as a management coach and help me select a conversation framework and discussion guide for a challenging behavioral discussion with a top performer. Ask me the questions that we need to consider....
Based on engaging, open-ended questions you will get guidance that will lead you to:
➊ A draft email and talking points based on what you've shared about the situation and your values.
➋ A detailed 5-step plan for developing and leading a team-building exercise: An initial Survey > concrete activity ideas (5 decent ideas with specific on how each person might respond) > ways to introduce flexibility and choice > A method for continuous feedback > ideas to foster an Inclusive Culture Beyond Activities. It also provided detailed considerations for each of the team members.
➌ Hard conversations. ChatGPT suggested a communication framework for managing difficult conversations along with talking points and even a role play to practice how the discussion might play out.
* Link sharing in ChatGPT requires the paid version, ChatGPT4. (but, if you're reading this, you probably have this.... if not, you should)
In these cases, AI does not replace humans. Instead, it serves as a partner, adept at recognizing patterns and deriving insights from similar past experiences. It prompts the user to think and provides tailored advice for handling sensitive situations with empathy and insight.
The move to leverage the best of humans and AI is encouraging. Organizations like The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), SHRM, HRLF (Human Resource Leadership Forum), the World Economic Forum, and so many others are exploring ways to support our managers and leaders more effectively.
If you’re interested in the exact prompts behind these three cases, I’m happy to share.
Send me a LinkedIn message.
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